President Obama: 'America must always lead on the world stage'
By: Jennifer Epstein May 28, 2014 11:03 AM EDT

President Barack Obama laid out the latest iteration of his foreign policy vision — and hinted at what he hopes his global legacy will be — as he spoke Wednesday of a United States that is engaged in the international community and ready to defend its interests, eager to use diplomacy but willing to deploy force when necessary.

“America must always lead on the world stage. If we don’t, no one else will,” he told graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point. “The military that you have joined is, and always will be, the backbone of that leadership.”

“But U.S. military action cannot be the only — or even primary — component of our leadership in every instance. Just because we have the best hammer does not mean that every problem is a nail,” he added. “And because the costs associated with military action are so high, you should expect every civilian leader – and especially your commander-in-chief — to be clear about how that awesome power should be used.”

Marking the end of the era of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan just a day after announcing plans to reduce troop levels in Afghanistan to 9,800 by the end of the year, Obama called on Congress to support the creation of a Defense Department Counterterrorism Partnerships Fund of as much as $5 billion. The fund would provide resources for a range of missions, from training local security forces to aiding allies’ interventions abroad, and mark a new way for the United States to maintain its leadership role around the world, he said.

One important target for this fund would be Syria where, “as frustrating as it is, there are no easy answers — no military solution that can eliminate the terrible suffering anytime soon,” Obama said. He said he stands by his decision not to send U.S. troops into the civil war on the ground there “but that does not mean we shouldn’t help the Syrian people stand up against a dictator who bombs and starves his people … in helping those who fight for the right of all Syrians to choose their own future, we also push back against the growing number of extremists who find safe haven in the chaos.”

Syria is an ongoing foreign policy focus heading into the summer, a senior administration official said on a conference call with reporters that immediately followed the speech. “The basic principle is, what are the best ways for us to provide support to the Syrian opposition, what are the best means of doing so, how do we increase resources, as the president spoke about.”

While the United States aims to use non-military means, Obama said his administration will still “use military force, unilaterally if necessary, when our core interests demand it — when our people are threatened; when our livelihood is at stake; or when the security of our allies is in danger.”

But, the president argued, potential actions require examination and debate. “In these circumstances, we still need to ask tough questions about whether our action is proportional, effective and just. International opinion matters,” he said. “America should never ask permission to protect our people, our homeland, or our way of life.”

Obama focused much of his speech on outlining what he sees as the successes — or potential successes — of his foreign policy, from Burma to Ukraine to Iran.

While the situation in Ukraine is still shaking out, the U.S.-led efforts to counter Russian President Vladimir Putin’s incursion into Crimea are already showing signs of success. “The mobilization of world opinion and institutions served as a counterweight to Russian propaganda, Russian troops on the border, and armed militias,” he said, and gave Ukraine the space to hold an apparently successful election over the weekend.

“We don’t know how the situation will play out, and there will be grave challenges. But standing with our allies on behalf of international order has given a chance for the Ukrainian people to choose their future,” he said. And it was all done “without us firing a shot,” he added, ad libbing a line that was not in the prepared text of his speech.

Nuclear talks with Iran are ongoing, but because of the Obama administration’s pressure through sanctions and diplomatic outreach to Tehran, “we have an opportunity to resolve our differences peacefully,” the president said.

“The odds of success are still long, and we reserve all options to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” he said. “But for the first time in a decade, we have a very real chance of achieving a breakthrough agreement — one that is more effective and durable than what would be achieved through the use of force. And throughout these negotiations, it has been our willingness to work through multilateral channels that kept the world on our side.”

Despite challenges and setbacks, U.S. involvement in these and other conflicts show how soft power and, at times, the threat of force, can affect change around the world, Obama said. “This is American leadership. This is American strength. In each case, we built coalitions to respond to a specific challenge. Now we need to do more to strengthen the institutions that can anticipate and prevent them from spreading.”